Topic: 2024-Indigenous Languages
Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Harini Manikandan
Topic: 2024- Indigenous Languages
Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Harini Manikandan
United Nations Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee
Indigenous Languages
Israel
Harini Manikandan
City High Middle School
Indigenous languages are disappearing at an alarming rate, and Israel is ready to solve this immense problem. It is estimated that every two weeks an indigenous language dies, and all nations must work together to address this issue. Indigenous languages are vital because they reflect cultural identity, preserve unique knowledge systems, and foster national cohesion. Israel supports the protection and promotion of linguistic diversity, as it plays a critical role in fostering inclusivity and preserving the rich history of communities worldwide. At its root, this is not just caused by solitarily cultural assimilation, but there are many more underlying causations that we need to weed out. Issues like generational gaps, economic pressures, lack of global media, educational barriers, and social stigma need to be fixed, and only then, will we be able to safeguard these languages.
However, The State of Israel does applaud efforts made to fix this issue. Israel is home to a number of indigenous languages, although the number is relatively small compared to countries with larger indigenous populations. The main indigenous languages in Israel are Hebrew and Arabic, but there are also smaller communities that speak other languages, including Bedouin Arabic, Druze Arabic, and languages spoken by immigrants from various countries. The revival of Hebrew is a major success story, and it is one that can be used as inspiration for future endeavors. The revival was accomplished by making it a national language, teaching it, and using it in the media. Israel has shown support for many United Nations efforts such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, International Decade of Indigenous Languages, and the UN Resolution A/RES/65/169. We also have programs that teach new immigrants Hebrew which leads to better integration of them into the community. We are also working on preserving other native languages through education.
Although there are many success stories and programs being done to help this critical issue, more needs to be done. We believe that to fix this multifaceted issue; we need more than one solution. We believe in teaching and promoting in indigenous languages, more media presence, and most importantly, fixing the social stigma surrounding these cultures. We want to improve upon existing policies, but emphasize creating new solutions. We look forward to hearing solutions on the preservation of these languages in a way that balances this issue and political implications. Israel is ready to collaborate on this issue with other nations, and solve this issue for the citizens of the world.
